Harry Potter and The Rod of Asclepius
by Vexile
Summary: Harry Dursley, has had a hell of a childhood and is about to get a chance to make something of himself instead of just a runt in a cupboard. But dark things are shifting in darker corners, and something has entered the world of wizards. But with the help of the Carrow Twins and Iris Potter, hopefully, he can survive his first year of wizarding school.
1. 1 - The Ride to Home

**Obviously many things have changed in this world, so I ask you go in with an open mind!**

"Excuse me, may I sit with you?"

Iris Potter was many things. From famous and rich, to talented and powerful she had everything she could ask for, and if she didn't it would only take but a snap of her fingers and it would be handled. She had taken after her father when it came to her hair, long, raven black hair. But her face and eyes were that of her mother's, slightly rounded face, with high cheekbones and a short, narrow nose, as well as deep emerald eyes. Her body was lithe, another thing she got from her mother, but she had slightly broader shoulders, which she got from her father.

She had just boarded the scarlet Hogwarts Express, and her many 'friends' had almost torn her in two, wanting her to sit with them while giving reasons why she shouldn't sit with that person. She had quickly had enough and had made her way down the train. She had kept on walking until she had made it to the very last cart, and opened up the left compartment. Sitting there had been a boy about her age, with messy, deep red hair and eyes of rich hazels, his cheeks looking sunken in, and dark circles under his eyes, making him look exhausted.

But he hadn't jumped from his seat to greet her, nor did he scoff and decline her, he simply gave her a warily nod before he went back to the book in his lap, which read 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1'. Giving him a thankful smile that she knew he wouldn't notice she walked in and closed the compartment door behind her, then turned to slip her trunk into the trunk racks, her polished, golden trimmed one going next to a ratty looking case. Once done she took a seat across from the boy, dusting off her black robes.

The silence that accompanied the two was strange to the Girl-Who-Lived, being used to loud voices, clicking of cameras and bombardments of questions from everyone she met, and here she was, sitting in silence, across from someone who didn't seem to know who she even was. She kept on glancing up at the boy, lightly gulping each time she looked up. 'This is a really uncomfortable silence.' She thought to herself, before finally deciding to try and strike a conversation with the boy, and she knew just the thing to say to get a wizard talking.

"So...what do you think of the new player for the Holyhead Harpies?" She asked, said player having captured many young men's hearts on the all-female Quidditch team. "I think she is pretty darn good, they may even have a chance at the Quidditch World Cup!" The boy looked up as she spoke, and raised an eyebrow while his eyes focused in on her own.

"What's Quidditch?" He asked, his head slightly tilted to the side. Iris's eyes went wide while her jaw dropped in shock. 'A boy who didn't know what Quidditch was!?' She screeched in her mind, right before she quickly shook her head, a small blush growing on her cheeks while she coughed lightly into her fist.

"Uh... yeah, it's a sport played on brooms." She told him but didn't go into detail. She may have been the daughter of James Potter, but a Quidditch player, she was not. "Well... what house do you think you will be in?" She asked, wanting to change the subject as quick as possible. This caused him to grow a thoughtful look, his eyes staring at the floor for a moment, and then he looked up with a small smile.

"I like to think I would do well in Slytherin, I can be rather ambitious... though I am unsure about the cunning part." He answered. "Of course, most of what I read about the houses in Hogwarts: A History just goes on and on about how evil the house is." Iris gave a small nod, a smile on her lips.

"Yeah, my mum always said Slytherins were not as bad as they seemed," Iris said, remembering all the stories her mother had told her about her best friend when she was going to Hogwarts. "I wouldn't mind going to Ravenclaw like my mum, but I might be heading to Gryffindor, people say I take after my dad more than my mum." A small sigh left her lips while she leaned back in her seat.

"Say, what's your name?" She asked realizing she had neglected to ask the rather crucial question, though he didn't seem to mind too much about her late question.

"Harry." He answered. "Yourself?"

With a smile, she held out a hand. "Iris, nice to meet you!" She said happily, and with a small smile he reached out and gave her hand a small shake.

"Likewise."

The two quickly hit it off as friends, Iris able to pull Harry out of his shell little by little, and found the quiet boy had tons of things in his mind, and most of the train ride was filled with Harry and Iris shooting questions at one another about the wizarding world and the muggle world.

"So...your mother is a muggle-born, but never taught you anything about them?" Harry asked with a tilt of his head, confusion in deep brown eyes.

"Mhm! I would get confused between muggle and wizarding culture she says." Iris said with a roll of her eyes, currently lounging in her seat, arms behind her head. "I mean, she introduced me to some muggle stuff, pens, notebooks, that kind of stuff. And we have some muggle equipment in our house also, like a computer, though I and dad are not allowed near it."

"I'd guess because your magic would mess with it, electronics don't act well around magic, I found that out when I was six." He said with a chuckle, though it didn't sound very right to her, too...cynical.

"Huh, think so?" She said while slowly getting into a sitting position, glancing out the window to see the rolling Scotland hills, Harry doing the same thing.

A few minutes of silence descended over the train compartment, though it wasn't as awkward, to Iris, as it had been when she first entered.

So it was a perfect time for the door to suddenly slide open, and a pair of redheads took a step in, their every movement synchronized and smirked down at a startled Iris.

"Iris! There you are!" The one on the left gasped, hand on his chest, and the other did the same a second later while speaking.

"I must say, I feel rather insulted!"

"As do I, brother of mine!"

"We were promised a compartment with the famous..."

"...and rich..."

"...and beautiful..."

"...and generous..."

"...and talented..."

"...Iris Potter!"

Harry and Iris both stared at the twins with wide eyes, Harry from the sudden entrance and noise of the two, and Iris from the noise and announcement of where she was.

"Fred! George! Are you trying to get me mobbed!?" Iris hissed, eyes narrowed on the two brothers, though they looked far from scared, only snickering with one another.

"My dear Iris, how could you forget who I am!? I'm..."

"...George and he's..."

"...Fred!"

The two laughed as Iris's face slowly got red from pure annoyance, and her hand twitched towards the pocket of her robes.

"Oh my, brother of mine, the almighty witch of Britain is about to..."

"...lay a deadly curse on us! What..."

"...ever shall we do!"

With a growl, Iris reached into her pocket, and hurled a handful of small pellets at the laughing twins, which caused tiny pops and sparks on impact with the freckled cheeks, cause the one named George to yelp and jump back, Fred doing the same a moment later.

After two seconds, small flowers started to bloom from each freckle, because the two twin's eyes to widen in shock, while Iris started to laugh at the sight of the shocked and flowery twins.

"Brother! If I am not mistaken, are those not pellets from our carnation catapult!"

"I believe they are, brother of mine! And it seems wee Potter has gotten her hands on them!"

"My my! A sneaky witch indeed!"

Iris rolled her eyes, smirking as the twins pulled out their wands and pointed them at each other's flower-covered faces, and with a swish of their wands and a mumble of words, the flowers vanished in a burst of pollen, causing the redheads to let out a sneeze.

"Are you done now?" Iris asked, arms crossed and smirk on her lips.

"I do believe we are, oh powerful one." Fred said while brushing pollen off of his robes.

"Once more we have been bested by the daughter of the Marauder." George added while shaking his head, getting pollen out of his hair.

Iris just laughed, before glancing over at her friend, realizing he had been awfully quiet, only to see he had scooted closer to the window, his eyes never leaving the glass.

"And who might this be?" Fred asked, following Iris's line of sight to the quiet first year.

"My dear brother, I do believe that is a firsty, not a very rare thing!"

"Very true, but he is a lot quieter than most firsties!"

"Hmm, indeed, brother of mine! Perhaps he is a shy firsty?"

"Mayhap, but with that hair, he could also be a Weasley!"

"That he could, brother!"

Being addressed seemed to make Harry tense up a bit, and for some reason, that caused Iris to tense up as well.

"But, as fun as it would be to chat with him, we must be off!"

"Indeed! Lee Jordan says he has a rather large spider, and I have to see it!"

"As do I! Until..."

"...next time!"

And with that, the twins locked arms, turned, and marched out of the compartment, the door closing behind them, leaving the two teens alone, one of them exasperated, the other confused.

"Uh...sorry about that Harry." Iris finally said, shaking her head. "That was Fred and George Weasley. They can be a handful at times, but they're good people!" She said with a smile.

"I'm...sure they are, I'm just not a fan of noise." He said with a small shrug, though he kept his eyes out the window, watching the rolling hills, a light drizzle falling from the light gray sky.

"I can understand that, have to value silence whenever you can get it."

A moment passed before Harry spoke again, and it was in a hesitant and awkward tone of voice.

"So...what did they mean by...'famous'?"

A small groan left her lips before she shook her head. "Ignore them, it's just something I did when I was a child, and even then no one knows what happened."

"What...what happened?" He asked, curiosity clearly peaked.

"Well...there was this really bad wizard, and I mean really bad, so bad they don't even say his name, they just call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or You-Know-Who for short..."

A large chunk of the train ride was filled with Iris telling the tale of You-Know-Who and his followers, the Death Eaters. From the reason behind the terrorist group to what she heard from the grapevine. And when she told Harry about how a lot of Death Eaters had gotten away, his eyes went wide.

"What!? Really!? But...how!?" He exclaimed in shock, and Iris understood how he felt, she had been the same way when she found out about that little nugget of information.

"They claimed Imperious, an Unforgivable curse that takes your will and makes it the caster's own. But the thing is, the curse can only work when the caster has aim of the victim, even through buildings and wards. But if the tip of their wand waivers from the victim, they can easily break free."

A full shiver passed over Harry, and Iris couldn't blame him, that curse always gave her the creeps, and tried her best to not think too much about it.

"But you have to be a master at mind magic, and there are very few of those around, so it's impossible for all of those Death Eaters to be imperius'ed." Iris continued, and Harry slowly nodded his head in understanding. She would give him this; he learned fast, it took her awhile just to wrap her mind around a spell that controlled people.

"That's...unsettling." Harry said after a moment, and Iris nodded in agreement before she returned to her storytelling and about the attack on her family on Halloween.

"...and they found me in my crib, crying in pain, and a real bad scar on my side, which I got from some falling rubble after the blast." She said, and lightly rubbed her left side for a moment at the mention of it.

"What happened to your mum and dad?" Harry asked, tilting his head, fully engrossed in the story.

"Mum and Dad are okay, though they got pretty hurt while I was being attacked, they had gotten jumped while shopping for a costume for me. High Skilled Death Eaters to. Dad had his arm cut off by a nasty Severing Curse, and mum was burned real badly by Fiendfyre an insane Death Eater had conjured."

Harry let out a hiss of pain at the thought of such injuries, and Iris nodded in agreement.

"They're okay though, dad's an Auror and Transfiguring master, so was able to make himself a pretty good fake arm. Mum got some pretty bad scarring but most of it was on her torso and arms, so easy to cover up." She said, and the hazel eyed boy relaxed just a bit.

"Your parents must be pretty strong to survive something like that." He said with a smile, while his mind went elsewhere.

"Totally, they both took Auror training, though mum was an unbeatable witch, she even took down dad, and he was training for years to be an Auror."

"Are they both still Aurors?" He asked while glancing out the window, noticing the small drizzle had turned to a full downpour.

"Dad is, it was his dream job when he was little. But mum never wanted to fight, and is the Potion Mistress at Hogwarts." Iris explained, smile on her lips. She was glad her mum would be there, even if she didn't want to admit it, she was nervous, going away from home for so long.

"What about your parents?" She asked Harry, and regretted it as soon as she saw the sudden tensing of his body and thinning of his lips.

"Um…dad works with drills I think, that's all he talks about. But mom is a banker and really good with money."

Iris wasn't sure how or why, but she could almost see the lies in his words, and the sorrow hidden behind them. But she wouldn't push, she had no right to, but she would file this away for later inspection.

Thankfully, she wouldn't have to start the conversation back up as their door rattled from a knock, followed by a cheery voice calling out, "Snack trolley!"

"Hey! Want to get something from the snack cart?" Iris asked Harry with a smile, and the mention of food instantly had his attention, followed by a nod of his head, and his hand went to his robe pockets, but Iris was quick to shake her head, holding a hand out to stop him.

"Nope! Not happening! I'll pay for both of us!" She said, causing his eyes to widen.

"But-"

"No buts! You are the best company I have had in a while, so the least I can do is get us something to eat!" She said stubbornly, and after a moment, Harry let out a sigh and held his hands up in defeat, which made the raven haired girl grin.

Opening the door, she walked out into the hall and to the snack trolley, tapping the young woman running it on the arm.

"Excuse me! Can I get some chocolate frogs and...four cauldron cakes please?" She asked, and the young lady smiled and nodded her head.

"Of course! That'll be eight sickles dear." She said while getting the treats put into a small bag for Iris.

She handed off the eight pieces of silver and got her bag, turning to head back to her compartment, only to find herself face to face with lots of freckles, messy red hair, and a dirty nose.

'Oh no.'

"Iris! Where have you been!? I've been looking all over for you!" Ronald Weasley exclaimed, face flushed with red annoyance. "Honestly, we agreed on a compartment and everythi- Hey! Chocolate frogs!"

Before Iris could even react, Ron's hand was in the bag, and he pulled out one of the wrapped frogs, and was working on tearing it apart to get at the chocolate it kept secured.

"Hey! Give me that back!" Iris snapped, tearing the frog from the red head's hands, and dropping it back into the bag, a crossed look on her face. "Don't just try and take stuff from me!"

Ron blinked, before frowning and crossing his arms over his chest. "But I wanted one! And besides, you don't even like Chocolate frogs!"

"That doesn't mean you get to just take them from me! And besides, these are for a friend of mine." She huffed, rather annoyed at being held up for so long, and walked around the thick headed boy, who quickly rushed to her side, matching her pace,

"Are you saying I'm not your friend?" He said with shock, temper once more flaring.

"No, Ron, I'm saying you are not my ONLY friend." She said with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"Then why can't I have a chocolate frog?" He asked, confusion written all over his face, which was rather normal for him.

"Because they are for my friend, not you." She said slowly, right before she turned and opened the door to her compartment, and both she and Ron froze at the sight inside.

Harry was sitting in the same spot Iris had left him, but there were two others, sitting across from him. Twins, only these twins were not red heads, but instead, dark brunettes, with sharp features, and deep, murky blue eyes.

It was Hestia and Flora Carrow, grade A dark Family material.

Now Iris had nothing wrong with Slytherins, and these two were diffidently Slytherins, but dark families were a whole other story, because they got that title for a reason, for being horrible people. From blood purists to greedy monsters, they were families that just bred evil, and the Carrows were one of them.

Their family were known for being one of the poorer dark families, but they somehow got by. And their parents were the worst. They were a cruel couple, blood purists, and greedier then sin. They were still in Azkaban for the murder of countless muggles and serving You-Know-Who, but no one knew what happened to their children, until news got out about the twins living in a muggle orphanage.

"Oh, hey Iris." Harry said with a small smile, breaking Iris out of her shock, and she found a set of blue eyes locked on her, the one named Flora raising an eyebrow at her, while Hestia kept looking out the window, looking rather tired. It was easy to tell them apart, unlike most twins. Flora had a nasty scar on the right side of her neck, and Hestia was taller than Flora, and usually looked more relaxed then her sister.

"Oh, hello Potter." Flora said lazily, before her blue eyes went back to her lap, where a book rested.

"What are you two doing here?" An acidic voice growled, and Iris glanced towards a red faced and angry Ron.

"...sitting, Weasley. I believe that is what one usually does in a train compartment." Flora said without looking away from her book, Harry looking at Ron with a small frown.

"Well this isn't your compartment, Carrow! It's mine and Iris's!" He exclaimed, Iris crossing her arms and glaring down at the two girls.

"Harry and I had the compartment first, Carrow, so please leave so Ron can join us." She said with steel in her words, her attempt at some form of politeness failing almost instantly.

"And my sister and I cannot sit here as well?"

"Yes!" Ron answered immediately.

"I invited them in!"

Iris's eyes shot towards an annoyed Harry, eyes narrowed at the two standing in the door. "They passed the compartment twice, clearly looking for somewhere to sit, s-so I invited them in, s-since six people could fit in here, a-and I didn't think it would such a big deal!"

A moment of silence passed, with Flora lightly smirking, and Hestia's eyes glancing over at the shy red head.

"Who even are you?" Ron said with a small frown.

"I'm Harry, and last I checked, this was my compartment, so I can invite whoever I want in here." He said, staring directly at the other red head.

"No, this is Iris's!" Ron shot back, while Iris stood there, looking more than a little embarrassed.

"Uh...Ron..."

"Look, Carrows, just leave already so me and Iris can sit down!" Ron said with a sneer, eyes narrowed at the twins.

"There is plenty of room for all of us." Flora said with a shrug, showing no sign of irritation, unlike the red faced Weasley.

"Yeah, but..." Iris was conflicted now. On one hand, she was with Ron, and didn't want to sit anywhere near the Carrows. But on the other, he was being a prat, and Harry wasn't looking very happy either.

"Flora, let's go, I'm getting a headache again." Hestia finally spoke up, her voice a lot smother then her sister's drawl.

"Hm...I suppose it would be rather annoying to argue the whole ride to Hogwarts." Flora said with a shrug before getting to her feet, smoothing out her robes while her sister stretched, then stood up with her. The two then turned, and walked out of the compartment, pushing past Ron, who glared at their backs at they walked, before walking in and flopping into the seat opposite of Harry.

A moment of silence later, Iris slowly walked in as well, and after a second of thought, sat on the same seat as Ron, who had gotten into her bag once more, and was chewing on a chocolate frog, looking over the card that came with it.

Harry simply stared out the window, a look of annoyance still on his face, and Iris let out a small sigh.

"Uh...Ron, this is my friend Harry. Harry, this is Ron." Iris said with a small voice, the two boy glancing at one another, before going back to what they found more important.

Iris's sighed and rubbed her forehead in agitation. Maybe she should have slowed Ron down, she had just wanted the Carrows gone and away from her and Harry, but that little scene had clearly soured Harry's mood, and that, in turn, soured her own.

She just hoped she could patch things up with her new friend.


	2. 2 - Bonds Begin to Form

Iris felt more than a little awkward, an hour of silence tends to do that to you, especially if you are near two other people who haven't spoken a word to each other. Both redheads refused to speak to one another, with Ron simply talking about something Quidditch related to Iris, while Harry simply slipped into his shell, only this shell had spikes, and any attempt to draw him into a conversation only resulted in an 'mhm' or 'cool'.

It was really, really annoying, and it was worse when Iris realized she could have made everything better by simply keeping her's and Ron's mouths shut about the Carrows.

Meanwhile, Harry was doing a lot of thinking; mainly about the reason why his new friend had acted the way she had to the two girls. They had seemed really polite, and the taller one, Hestia, even showed him some magic he would hopefully be learning once at school. From the Levitation charm to the Reparo charm, which she had used to fix his mangled excuse for glasses.

"It's pretty basic stuff, honestly, but if you can master it, it could come in handy in a pinch." She had explained, Flora too busy reading her book to make a comment. "And, to tell you the truth..." Her smile turned mischievous, and she whispered, "That was my first attempt at the spell without having to redo it, and I'm horrible at charms. Flora is better. So you should do fine."

Hestia even offered to teach Harry about the spell, and he was eager to learn about the useful charm. It had taken him a few tries to get the wand movement's right, but the word came to him with ease, and the next thing he knew, his ratty case looked almost brand new.

"Huh, looks like you are good at charms as well." She had said with a chuckle.

He had wanted to learn more, but Hestia had winced and explained she got frequent headaches while resting her temple against the cool window. Flora had waved off his concern, telling him 'it will pass'.

And then Iris and her prat of a friend showed up, and the two sisters had left. Hopefully, he would be able to see them again, he liked them. Both quiet, and friendly.

But right now, all he wanted to do was bang his head off of the window, and he swore, if he heard one more thing about the Crudely Cannon's, he was going to master a jinx just so he could use it on the other redhead.

Thankfully, Ron was interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice going through the carts. "We will be arriving at Hogsmeade Station in half an hour. Please be properly dressed in your robes, and have all luggage on you." Then there was a pause. "Ah, and may the owner of a large toad please come and retrieve him?"

A small cry of 'Trevor!' went out, followed by running footsteps, while the three 14-year-olds stood up and began to rummage through their things, Harry and Iris only needing to pull out the blank metal pendant that would soon show their house mascot, while Ron was busy looking for his robes and pendant.

Iris glanced over at Harry, and then blinked in confusion. Had he gotten a new suitcase? It looked brand new. But she didn't have time to ask him, as the train let out a loud whistle, announcing their arrival at Hogsmead, followed by sliding doors opening and footsteps of countless other students. Harry was the first to open their door, and step out into the sea of people, his posture stiff, most likely from all the people.

Iris quickly followed behind, a struggling Ron behind her, trying to get his arm through the sleeve of his robes.

Harry and Iris shivered as they exited the train onto the cold train platform, the night sky high above them twinkling with millions of beautiful stars.

"Firs' years! Firs' years with me! Follow me to the boats!"

Both Harry and Iris turned at the sound of the huge, bellowing voice, eyes brightening and smiles growing on their faces as they broke off from the wave of first years, and towards the one directing them.

"Hagrid!"

The sound of his name being called by two people easily got the huge man's attention, and a large, furry smile grew on his lips as he saw the two first years running towards him.

"Ello there Harry! Iris! Good seeing ya two! Wish I could chat mor', but I gotta make sure everyones' following directions!" He said in his booming voice, though he did reach down and pat their heads before he began calling out orders to the crowd of firsties.

Harry was a little put out that he couldn't talk with his first friend from the magical world, but he also understood why, so instead he turned and started to walk down the path leading to the boats, Iris staying behind to wait for Ron, though this time he kept his distance from the crowd.

And yet, that somehow got someone's attention.

"Well well, look what we have here," Harry blinked and turned around to see who was speaking to him. A trio of boys was walking towards him. The one in front was an inch or two taller than Harry, and unlike Harry's wild red hair, his was almost white, and slicked back. He also had rather sharp features for a first year. The two boy's behind the first reminded Harry of gorilla's, both big, both tall, and both rather...simple looking.

"Let's see...red hair, hand me down case...you must be a Weasley." The blond said with a snide tone of voice, arms crossed in front of him while the two simple looking boys laughed at the apparent insult.

"Uh...excuse me?" Harry asked with clear confusion on his face, and glanced down at his case, noticing that a few scratches were still present, but all together, it looked fine.

"What? Too dumb to remember what your own last name is? Suppose that will happen, what with all the dirt your family must need to eat, unable to afford proper food." The blond boy went on, and a few other students had stopped to watch what was going on.

Harry's eyes narrowed and a frown formed on his lips. "I do remember my last name thank you very much, and it is not Weasley." He finally said, causing the blond to grow a confused look, while the two gorilla's behind him snickered from the previously made insults. "As for my suitcase, I do not see how that is any of your concern."

"...you're...not a Weasley?" The boy said after a moment.

"No, I am not. Believe it or not, not all red heads are related. Maybe you should stop eating dirt, might help with the filth you spout." Harry snapped in agitation. before he turned on his feet, once more walking towards the boats, ignoring the now angry boy behind him, shouting something about his father hearing about whatever.

As he walked, he made sure to take slow breaths, doing his best to calm his temper. Silently, he walked towards one of the empty boats, surprised he had gotten to the shore so quickly, though he guessed he had been speed walking without realizing it. With a small grunt, he hoped into the rickety boat, shivering at the feeling of...something on the wood, not water, but something.

Ignoring the strange feeling, he took a seat at the side of the boat so he could both the shore, and some of the large lake they would be sailing on. He watched as groups split off into fours, and got into boats, while one or two students would form a group and take a boat. He was able to catch glimpses of Iris talking to friends, and even saw the red-headed twins from before walking with a black boy with dreadlocks.

"Mind if we sit with you?"

The sudden voice caused Harry to jump, his head whipping towards the source. Standing there with matching smirks was Hestia and Flora, and it had been Flora's voice he had heard.

"Jumpy, Harry?" Hestia teased jokingly while Harry moved to give the girls room to get on. Flora sat across from the dark eyed boy, while Hestia decided to sit next to Harry.

"I...I hope you were able to find a compartment after...you know..." He rubbed the back of his head, still very much embarrassed from what had happened with the twins and Ron.

"Yes, we were able to find a seat with a couple of seventh year Slytherins." Flora explained while pulling her charms book back out from the pocket of her robes.

"Yes, and before you try and apologize, we don't blame you about Potter and Weasley." Hestia added with a smirk, causing Harry to blush. She had clearly expected his next sentence, the burnet chuckling while patting his shoulder.

"You're so easy to read Harry." She said, though she went silent as she noticed Flora looking at the group of first years still looking for a boat, instantly drawing Harry and Hestia's attention to the boy walking towards their boat.

He was rather thin, almost as thin as Harry, but he had some muscle to him as well. His hair was a deep black, and hung in his eyes from its length. Soon he was in front of their boat, and Harry could get a look at his features. He had a sharp face, angular chin, gaunt cheeks, and a pointed nose as well as thin lips, though Harry couldn't get a look at his eyes thanks to all the hair.

"Uh...hi, mind if I sit with you lot?" He asked, his slightly nasally voice not sounding shy per say, more cautious than anything. Hestia and Flora glanced at one another, before shrugging and looking to Harry.

"Up to you, it's your boat after all." Flora said, Hestia nodding in agreement.

Harry was a bit surprised at being left as the decision maker, but it didn't take him that long to have an answer.

"S-Sure, I don't see why not."

"Thanks mate." He said with a smile, and stepped into the now full boat, taking his seat next to Flora. "Names Theodore, but just call me Theo." He introduced himself, and held out a hand, which Harry shook after a moment of hesitation.

"Harry." He said before nodding his head towards the reading twin. "That's Flora, and this," He glanced at a grimacing Hestia, hand on the side of her head. "is Hestia."

"Pleasure meeting you all." He said with a crooked smile, and used a hand to swipe some of his hair out of his face, showing his eyes to be a rather dark brown, not unlike Harry's deep hazel, only a bit darker.

Suddenly, the boat gave a hard lurch, causing Harry and Theo to yelp in surprise, while the twins were silent, only looking forward as the boats started to move, and with their movements, the lanterns on the front of each and every boat slowly flared to life, dotting the dark lake with small lights.

"Look ahead everyone! Yer 'bout to get yer firs' look at good 'o Hogwarts!" Hagrid bellowed, his own boat at the front of the rest. The small fleet of boats were heading for a rather large arch with hanging moss acting as a curtain, and some people pointed out the large carriages being pulled above it, showing it was a bridge as well for what must have been the older years, though he wasn't able to get a look at what was pulling them.

The boats in front of them were suddenly filing with sounds of astonishment as they passed the arch, clearly getting a look at the school they would be attending for seven years, and the wait was making Harry antsy, causing him to squirm in his seat. And then their boat passed under the large arch, and a gasp left all of their lips.

Hogwarts Castle was a beautiful piece of architecture. Spires and turrets reaching up into the sky, banners flapping in the low wind, and every window were lit up with candlelight, adding to its mystical look.

"Whoa…" Was all Harry could get out, heart pounding at the sight of his school, and the other three students nodded their heads in agreement.

"Whoa is right!" Theo exclaimed, the first to break out of the hold the castle had on them. "I'd seen pictures, but seeing it with my own eyes is absolutely awesome!"

"Agreed." Hestia said while Flora nodded.

"Alrighty! When we get to the shore, yer gonna get off and form ah line to the main hall!" Hagrid's voice broke through the cloud of amazement hanging over everyone, and the chatter started up instantly.

It took about half an hour for the boats to start hitting the shore of the castle, kids clambering off of the boat so they could find their friends and family or to get a better look around. Harry's boat was one of the last ones to the beach, Theo quickly jumping out of the rickety old thing, and Harry soon followed, the two boys turning to over a hand out to the two girls, who simply smirked and took the helpful hands, happy to be on solid land.

"That everyone?" Hagrid rumbled, looking over the sea of firsties. With a nod, he walked over and gave the large door three knocks, and a second later, it opened. Standing there was a strict looking witch in emerald green robes, glasses shining in the torchlight that covered the group.

"Hm…thank you Hagrid for bring them here, I shall take over from here." She stated in a slight Scottish tone, and Hagrid gave her a bearded smile.

"Glad tah help Professor! You all have a good sortin!" He gave the firsties all a wave before he turned and lumbered off towards what looked to be a small cottage in the middle of a field.

"Hello First Years, I am Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor, Head of Gryffindor House, and Deputy Headmaster. You are about to enter the Great Hall, where you shall have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But tonight, you are all about to go through Sorting, and shall soon find your family in your house. Follow along."

And with that she turned on her heels, and walked into the warmly lit hall, which the other students quickly rushed into, wanting out of the drizzle that had started in the already cold night.

The Great Halls was a very fitting name, for the hall was giant, and very much great. There were four extremely long tables, each with a different colored table cloth and above them was clouds, dark grey in color and giving a small drizzle like outside, only the water never lasted long enough to hit the floor.

The four children followed the crowd as they moved further inside, and his eyes were drawn from the strict witch currently waving her wand to drag forth a stool and raggedy hat to the large table at the very end of the hall, and sitting there was what he guessed would be his teachers.

First, he saw the one sitting at the very top, an old man with a long, grey beard and half mooned glasses. He had on bright robes that clashed horribly and gave off an air of power, but his demeanor was calm, relaxed. To his right was an empty seat, where he guessed McGonagall sat. To his left, sat a short man, with a mustache and neat hair, and looked to be wearing a suit instead of robes.

But what really drew his attention, was a tall looking man with scraggly brown hair that framed a narrow, angular face. He had on black robes, and his chin rested in his palm, and emerald green eyes looked down at all the students with boredom, but Harry could feel there was more than just disinterest in his stare. As if the man was looking for something, and suddenly his eyes snapped towards him, and they met.

And he felt a small sting on his forehead, almost like a tug, making him frown and reach up to rub it. The strange man stared for a second or two, before his eyes lazily drifted away. Deciding not to bother with the strange man, he turned back towards the witch currently speaking, hoping he hadn't missed anything important.

"-and once the sorting is over, you shall take your seats with your House." Professor McGonagall finished, looking over the sea of children before nodding her head, moving to stand by the hat and stools side. Suddenly, the seam of the hat opened, and a voice boomed through the hall, startling Harry and a few others,

"Let us begin!"


End file.
